Hank Mobley

CD version. A Caddy for Daddy is a Hank Mobley sextet record from late 1965. The tenor saxophonist had been part of the Blue Note roster for ten years when he made it, as a leader and as a regular sideman. It pairs a catchy groove opener with a set of tougher, harmonically restless hard bop tunes. Four of the five compositions are his.

The session was recorded on December 18, 1965, at the Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, with Rudy Van Gelder at the controls. Alongside the leader are Lee Morgan on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone and McCoy Tyner on piano. Bob Cranshaw plays bass and Billy Higgins drums. All of them were regular faces on the label in those years, and Alfred Lion produced. The only outside composition comes from Wayne Shorter.

The title track sets the tone with Higgins' boogaloo beat and a riff theme that runs for more than nine minutes. The Morning After turns darker, a minor waltz where the band settles into a slower, brooding pulse. Ace Deuce Trey is the most aggressive piece, hard-charging and full of sudden harmonic detours. 3rd Time Around closes the programme, switching meters under a bright, swinging line. Shorter's Venus Di Mildew sits comfortably among the leader's tunes, a medium-tempo piece that suits the three horns.

The pleasure of the record lies in the camaraderie of the band and in Mobley's round, unforced sound, which never needs to shout over the other horns. AllMusic gives it four and a half stars. The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (2008) rates it three out of four.

This is the Japanese Ultimate High Quality CD from Universal Music Japan (UCCQ-9677, 2024), remastered by Kevin Gray. It comes in a jewel case with obi strip, and the original sleeve notes by Ira Gitler are reproduced on the back inlay.